Drive, He Said

Synopsis

Jack Nicholson’s enormously irreverent directorial debut, Drive, He Said, free-spirited and sobering by turns, is a sketch of the exploits of a disaffected college basketball player and his increasingly radical roommate.

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Oh, okay, so this is the great BBS movie. Way better than EASY RIDER or anything by Rafelson. Jack is a little showy with the camera, but hey, 1971, who wasn't (besides Bogdonavich)? And who knew Robert Towne could act?

March Madness viewing, but also anytime viewing for cinephiles curious to see where, during his ascendency, Jack Nicholson tried his hand at directing. The visual energy and underlying concept are strong: hip mingling with square on campus, slinking between the basketball court and the draft office. Jack handles some scenes exquisitely, and fumbles others. But it's a thoughtful snapshot of America at a crossroads.

Despite the inconsistent acting on display, and despite certain aspects of the film feeling quite dated, this is a surprisingly superb directorial debut from Jack Nicholson. There are familiar themes explored here that still resonate, and as the end credits rolled I started to wish that Nicholson had tried his hand more behind the camera. I have loved this and The Two Jakes, so just have to get to Goin' South ASAP.

I expected something much worse, I suppose. In the end it's another drama taking a shot at the fallout of the 60's and it does it with style. There are better and worse moments, but this film is really worth seeing.

Well, there's a lot of "Jackisms" in this movie. However, I can't help that feel that the characters are unauthentic, despite wearing hearts on sleeve -probably largely generational, though. This was probably a very "now" movie at the time. As a film, it is choppy, dizzying and full of an angst that seems to drive from unknown -without reason. I relate to these characters, but overall, they aren't doing anything.